From Behind a Closed Door
by monochromevelyn
Summary: The arrival of a special day brought everything back to life for the thirty one year old Kagami Taiga. Based on Character Bible. Rated M for sexual suggestion.


Kagami large hand palms the clock, killing the alarm that almost burst his eardrum on the bedside table. He lazily props himself up, looking at the clock and the already bright light outside the window. Sliding off the blanket, he picks up clothes that clatters on the floor and toss it in the laundry basket before walking towards the calendar hanging next to the window. A large red mark encircled the number 31 – the day of which is today. The man's eyes fell on the ground; unfocus, emotions unidentifiable. The redhead traces it using his finger slowly, tapping it lightly before walking off to the en suite bathroom. He let out a rude yawn, one hand scratching his stomach; standing before the sink counter. He fixes the chain with two gold rings hanging round his neck in front of the mirror.

.

_The red-haired male brought his face closer to the sink, splashing water repeatedly in his face in attempt to wash the morning drowsiness away. He straightened himself up, stunned as he felt two strong arms snaking by his side holding him by the waist, warm breath tickling at the nape of his neck. The breathing of the person clutching onto him was heavy and hefty, pressing on his bare skin causing his breath to hitch._

"_Daiki."_

"_Hmmm," murmured the tanned male low behind him with eyes closed. "Taiga, come back to bed."_

"_Idiot. I have to go to work," scowled the red-haired male as he flippantly trying to escape the grip of which he knew very well would be man's strength was at par as his, if not better._

"_But it's my special day, today," the bluenette sulked, pouting lips brushed against Kagami's milky skin causing him to shiver._

_He used the hand towel next to the sink to wipe his face, toss it aside and squirmed with great effort to face the other male in the arms enveloping him. "I tried getting the day off, but they're really short on hands today so I could only take half a day." He lightly pecked his cheek, trailing sweet small kisses all the way to his ear, nibbling it." Just half a day, baby. Then I'm all yours."_

_._

Finishes getting himself ready for the day, he leaves his room to knock on the one next door.

"Daiichi, I'm coming in."

He waits for no reply, fully knowing that the boy will still be sleeping; blissfully, chest raising and falling at regular rhythm. Kagami sits on the edge of the bed, gently raking the small body.

"Daiichi, you're gonna be late for school," redhead murmurs at the boy's ear as he brushes strands of blue hair off his forehead.

Slowly coming to his senses, his eyelashes flutters before his eyes open against the bright light of Thursday morning. Kagami pulls the 5 year old to sit before lifting him up to stand on his feet.

"Morning, sunshine. Now go take a shower."

Still rubbing his eyes, he shakes his heas, obediently and walk in the direction of the bathroom swaying from left to right, not fully awake yet. Kagami pitches a smile at the sight of the growing boy.

.

"_Taiga, I don't think we are ready for this."_

"_Nobody ever is, Daiki. Things will happen naturally."_

"_Parenting is not easy."_

"_Marriage is too, but we've made it so far. "_

_It was one of the few times both of them sit together to discuss important things, without actually ending up punching each other's throat nor have a name -calling battle throughout the entire time. Sitting on the big red couch next to each other, looking straight ahead at the turned off TV; only the sound of them breathing filled the silence in between their exchange of words._

"_Are you sure?"_

_Kagami turned to his side, eyes locked onto his partner who was still looking straight into nothingness; knowing that he was still thinking, wavering. "Daiki." He reached out for his hand; placing his's on top of it. "I've known you since we were sixteen, been in love with since seventeen, been married to since we were twenty three and now at twenty five years old, I know I want this. It is because it is with you, that I want it."_

_Aomine finally caved in, returning a gaze at his better half. He shuffled his hand so that their fingers entertwined around each other, warmth seeping in through the pores. "But why mine – my sperm?"_

"_Because," the redhead smiled, looking at the hand he was holding before shifting his eyes towards the blue haired male," I want to have Your child ."_

_The grip on his hand tightened._

_It was really as both of them expected – although it was possible in the western countries, the process of getting the legal right to have a surrogate child of their own in Japan was gruelling and tortuous, as also the search to find the suitable surrogate mother. But after 9 months and 10 days, when they saw the little blue-haired bundle of joy move about, chirping bubbles behind the glass separating neonatal ward from the outside world they knew all the strife they had encountered, and those that yet to come would be worth it._

.

The former ace of Seirin leaves his son's room, pacing towards the phone by the TV to make an important phone call.

" Ah, Kagami-kun – yes yes, it's that time of the year again after all," voice from the other end of the line brisk and friendly," It's okay, we can take care of stuffs. Have a nice day."

"Sorry for all the trouble. Have a nice day too, sempai." He places the receiver back to its position and head towards the kitchen. He sway, moving from one side to another like every other morning, he finishes preparing the usual breakfast – scrambled egg, bacons and coffee for himself, cereal and orange juice for Daiichi and places it on the dining table.

.

"_I'm proud of myself for having good eyes. You know, for picking you to be my wife. You cook good food," confided the bluenette as he took a strip on top of the bacon piles in the large plate next to the stove and put it into his mouth. Kagami was still not done with the cooking, and it annoyed him when people starts eating before he even finish cooking. When the former ace of Teikou that was leaning against the counter refused to return his ferocious glare, he stepped on his solar plexus and elbowed his ribs, leaving the guy writhing in pain._

"_You bastard, I'm a guy. Stop calling me your wife. And stop eating before it's ready to be served," groaned the slightly shorter man. Despite being in charge of motherly tasking in the house, he hated the effeminate name-calling his lover always call him._

" – _also, remember who had to go through all the trouble arranging the marriage in LA because apparently there's this one particular moron forgot that gay marriage is not legal in Japan when he proposed?"_

"_Geez – you talk too much, Taiga," his lips stretched into a thin smile, crushing his lips onto the unexpected male in front of him who was still holding on to the frying pan in one hand and a spatula in another. " – it's okay," his lips still lingered, " That is also one of the reasons I love you."_

_._

Kagami has taken his usual spot on the dining table when he hears the sound of thundering footsteps approaching. When he realizes it, the little figure that made the noise has already wraps himself around his leg.

"Daiichi, it's time for breakfast," he put down the cup of coffee in his hand and lift the boy to sit on the chair next him. Being only five, Daiichi is tall enough to sit on a normal chair, although he still needs two layer of cushion underneath him. The small boy of blue hair that is of similar blue shades of his partner on his pure, snowy skin make him looks like he really is the love child of the two men despite being biologically impossible.

"Why are you not dressed for work today, Daddy?" chirp the boy as he stands on the chair to have a better view on his food.

"Hmmm?" He looks at his child from behind the coffee cup. " I'm taking the day off. That means I can send you to school and pick you up early today." He smiles.

The sound of forks and spoon clanking against the plate are the ones filling in the atmosphere before the boy speaks up.

"It's papa's birthday today, right?" asks the boy warily, eyes gleaming with a mixture of emotions a five year old should not know, let alone feel. Kagami's smile wears out, but he realizes it quickly, then flashing the biggest grin he has to wipe the gloom out.

"Yes, baby." He ruffles the blue locks that look and feel so much similar of his other half. "We'll celebrate it together after you get back from school, okay?"

.

From a distant, Kagami can already make out the person that is standing in front of the kindergarten; a familiar face from the past. His little boy let go of his hand and dashes towards his teacher.

"Kuroko-sensei!"

"Good morning, Daiichi-kun," exclaims the blue-haired male wearing a pink apron, clapping his hands trying to appear excited; although his monotonous voice does not come hand in hand with his action. "Your friends have been waiting for you to get the game started. I afraid their patience is wearing thin."

The boy's eyes widens in horror that his friends are going to start without him, he nods vigorously and quickly run into the kindergarten compound. He stops halfway though, peeking through the gate and waves goodbye to his father before vanishing again.

"Bye daddy, see you this afternoon!"

"Alright, baby. Take care," he waves back with a smile as he takes a step closer to the person in front of him.

"Kagami-kun."

"Kuroko."

One can never tell what is running in that mind of the small man, not then, not even now. Kagami knows that fact well enough as he was his light that he stops trying a long time ago.

A few moments passed before he could mutter the words. "It's his day, today."

Kagami acknowledges the fact with a broken smile. "It is. It's a special day."

The battle for words starts again, before the phantom sixth man of Teikou's Generation of Miracles is being called inside by another adult, struggling with the kids.

"I have to go now. Have a nice day, Kagami-kun."

"I will, Kuroko. Thank you."

.

It's weekdays, there aren't so many people in the supermarket as it usually does during the weekends, and Kagami is thankful for it. He pushes the cart along the isle for frozen food, occasionally rubbing his side because of the cold. Trudging until the end of the isle, he stops at the refrigerator shelves with varieties of ice-cream lining up, enticing every eye to stop and stare and take home one or two tubes. He skimmed through it, already knowing what he wants and picks one – chocolate fudge brownie of Tom N' Jenny's.

.

"_Ice-cream?" the red-haired male raised an eyebrow, eyeing lazily as he looked up at his standing lover from the couch he was sitting, barely making out his figure in the dim light aided by the television._

"_Just take it already," he placed the said food on his partner's belly along with a spoon before taking off his dark blue police jacket, placing it on the armrest. The bluenette loosened the tie and pull out his tucked in shirt, unbuttoning a few buttons up before slumping into the couch next to the redhead with a heavy sigh._

"_Rough day? Hey it's already melting! Tssk," complained the male but scooping a spoonful into his mouth anyway._

"_Fucking paperwork," he said simply, grimacing at the mental image."What are you watching?"_

_The red-haired had his face buried halfway through the tube already. His day off, his partner treating him chocolate ice-cream. His day couldn't get any better – or so he thought._

"_The proposal. Sandra Bullock," chided the male, taking another scoop into his mouth. "I can watch her movies a thousand times and never get bored."_

_Aomine coughed, choking on his own saliva. "The what?" ignoring the part that his partner just openly admitting himself to being a sucker for sappy romantic comedies._

"_The proposal, hey – " he dugged into something hard in the ice-cream so he spooned it out. " – what's this?" Kagami inspected the foreign object in the food he had been downing for awhile now, fear flashed through his eyes if he had already swallowed one of those previously._

_The former ace of Touou facepalmed at the perturbed look on his partner's face. He pulled the red-haired's arm and have the spoon in his mouth. Dumb-founded, Kagami watched his boyfriend gurgled out something from his mouth of which he grimaced in disgust, Aomine proceeded to kneel in front of him, facing away from the TV that served nothing more than just background light and noises now._

"_Well, do you wanna marry me?" he held the gold ring using one hand and had another on his head, scratching his hair, awkward._

_Running out of words after snapping into the reality of the event that just take place, Kagami headbutted his partner hard, snatching the ring from his hand._

"_Of course I do, you bastard!" scowled the male, probably in embarrassment. Aomine didn't need light to tell what was going on in his partner's head._

"_What the hell – why are you angry?"_

"_Because you caught me off guard!" he smacked a furious kiss onto the blue-haired male, pushing him on to the floor, the ice-cream long forgotten. After he was done assaulting the police officer's lips deviously, devouring it like a hungry lion; he adjusted himself, straddling against his waist as he raised the ring to see the inside by whatever source of light he had._

"_Ahomine x Bakagami? Really, this is the best you can come up with?" queried the red head with a dose of sarcasm._

"_Shut up," the bluenette groaned with no hint of regret, rather enjoying the position he was in now being dominated by the shorter male._

"_I'm not sure if you're trying to insult me, or you are simply an amazing failure at being romantic," he taunted, putting the ring on his finger. He knew that was not true. The bluenette was the romantic of the two, although sometimes it involved the weirdest shit ever. The best example for now was hiding a ring in a tube of ice-cream._

_Aomine propped himself up by the elbow, yanked the other male's arm and pulled the red-haired man by the shirt for a dangerous kiss, filled with lust, hunger for touch." Hey," whispered the male in the low voice, heavy breath and saliva mingling as their lips parted. "I never fail. And nobody beats me but me."_

.

His train of thought crashes as the sharp pain from the cold tube of ice-cream pricks his fingers. He sets it down in the trolley, pushing it towards meat isle when he encounters a tall green-haired male, another man by his side busily weighing decision between two types of meat. When they notice him, the shorter male picks one to put in the cart before jogging in his direction.

"Kagami! Been a while seen we're seen you, not since – "

"Kazunari," huffs the serious looking male, trailing him from behind. The guy shoot a warning look at the black haired man and he seems to get it, holding back his words. He nods to Kagami as does the red head."Kagami."

"Midorima-san."

The couple exchange looks before getting back to him." – Ah, right. Sorry. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, Takao-san. Daiichi is too. He's turning five this year," beaming at the recollection of the sometimes overly active blue-haired boy. Well, overly active when it comes to basketball anyway, much like his fathers. Takao jump on the bandwagon and tell stories about his children and almost had verbal diarrhoea before his partner pulls him away as he pushes the cart forward. Being left alone, he continues on the grocery shopping for tonight's special dinner he plans on making.

.

With one hand holding the paper bag containing ingredients for dinner tonight, the tall redhead squat in front of varieties of flower displayed outside a flower shop. He hover his free hand over each one that catches his eyes, unsure of what he should be getting.

_._

_A bouquet of flower flung in front of his face as soon as he stepped out of the fire station. Tracing the tanned hand holding the flowers up to the face of the person holding it; Kagami's dumbstruck face softened._

"_What is this?"_

"_Carnation," the bouquet switched hands. The blue haired male still dressed in police uniform started walking, leaving the fire fighter to catch up with him._

"_What for?" the red haired male still eyeing suspiciously at his partner, knowing him as the type that is not really a sappy kinda person so he must've done something wrong. Yes, he must've really fucked something up. He readied himself for the other male to drop the bomb._

"_The florist said something about carnation being a suitable flower to give on mother's day," uttered the male lazily as he dug his pinky finger into his ear. " – dunno."_

"_Huh," murmured Kagami, not expecting such answer. " – wait, mother's day? I am not a woman, you jerk."_

"_Don't be angry," He pulled the older male by the sleeve, planting a kiss on his cheek by surprise. "That's a thank you for babying me and Daiichi, Taiga-mama."_

_Aomine grinned in satisfaction in seeing his partner blushed, face turning as red as his hair._

_Kagami was never big on public display of affection, but he decided to grant the bluenette an exception today from his long nag he always gave to the other male whenever Aomine's whim struck him to hug or kiss or even grab his ass in public. With arms linked, both of the former aces from respective schools paced in the direction of a nursery to pick their little angel up after a long day at work._

.

After a while, he settles with blue violet as the color reminds him of a certain someone. He walks toward the counter only to see another familiar face from his high school days; another red haired male, shorter than Kagami wearing yukata turns to look at him after he finishes paying. Akashi Seijurou – the captain of the Generation of Miracles, the man feared by everyone. Not a man of many words, they exchange greetings, a little casual conversation before parting ways.

.

It is almost noon by the time Kagami reaches home. Getting on with the program, he sets the grocery down on the counter and starts preparing. Almost like a professional, it takes him less than 2 hours to get everything ready; the big meal for the night. He chops a few onions, grabs some salad, stirs a pot of gravy and pops the marinated meat into the oven. Setting it on low temperature stretching for a few hours, it should be ready by the time he gets home with Daiichi later this evening. Happy with the progress he had made in the kitchen, the man then replaces the flowers he bought in a tall transparent vase made up of glass, placing it on top of the dinner table before leaving again to pick Daiichi up from school. He locks the door, stepping down the stairs of his apartment and out of the premise when he catches the glimpse of a pink-haired girl standing under the bus station, as though she is waiting for something. Or someone.

_._

_The red head was thrown off, falling on his back as a fist struck his face after he greeted the tanned teen. He was baffled by the situation. He soon got back on his feet and let the other male had a taste of his own knuckle._

"_What the hell was that for?!" roared the red head._

_The bluenette bounced back from the strike, straightening himself up before he rocketed another punch on the other male's cheek._

"_You shouldn't have done that to Satsuki!" his eyes widened, emanating angers from within the owner._

_Kagami eyes widened, now aware of the situation that lead up to this. He swallowed the words, thrusting a punch downward which sent the blue-haired male's face to kiss the basketball court._

"_I can't," he bend forward to pick the man up by the shirt, his fist folded ready to strike. "I can't accept her love." The bluenette was bruised, face lacerated and blood was dripping from the side of his mouth from the fight yet he looked at him with arrogance with those blue orbs of his, ready to accept. Kagami fingers dug deeply into his palm it bled. The other male was taken aback as the redhead released his shirt and walked away. "I have someone else in my heart."_

_Two steps leaving the court, Kagami fell flat on his face after being tackled from behind. Aomine locked the man under his body and pulled the man to face him; his face so close to his Aomine could feel their breaths mingled, with a fist poised above his head._

"_She's my childhood friend!" barked the bluenette at the Seirin's Ace. The red orbs bored into his midnight blue, looking empty and defeated. Kagami then closed his eyes to brace for the impact that never came._

"_Fuck you. Fuck you for letting me fuck you," Kagami could feel his chest heavy; the bluenette land his head on it as he pounded his chest repeatedly with unaccented fists._

_It came up as curiosity at first – Aomine found gay porn as he surfed the internet using Kagami's computer when he visited his place after their usual one-on-one at the nearby court. The 'That looks interesting' and 'Let's try it' didn't seemed so dangerous at first, until Kagami could feel there was a wire round his neck pulling tighter and tighter as he started to grow feelings for the bluenette. They did it once. Twice. The number of days they spent together increased rapidly until they could no longer see each other without having to touch, to feel each other wrapped in warm embrace of lust and pleasure. He knew that this was supposed to be a platonic relationship between the two of them; the bluenette never spoke of it so he shoved all his feelings deep, never wanting the guy to find out, afraid that it could destroy the relationship that was supposed to be light and casual, no strings attached. As the hours they spend together stretched, the number of times Kagami encountered the pink-haired girl also increased proportionally. Never did he know, nor expect; that the spy of Touou who claimed to be head over heels for Kuroko when he first met her would fall for him somewhere along the way. Probably if it was a few months back, he might've go along with the flow – accept the confession and slowly falling in love with the pretty babe that she was, possibly build a future with her as they grew older. But he couldn't. His thought revolved around the blue-haired moron. His daily lives centred on the sneaky devil. He couldn't stop the relentless beating in his heart every time he caught those sly grins and mischievous smiles by Aomine's lips even though their usual interaction would only involve intense basketball and stupid fight and hot sex._

_Kagami flung one arm over his shoulder into an embrace with another reaching out for his head, caressing his hair._

"_I feel sorry for Satsuki," whimpered Aomine in low voice, nails digging into Kagami's chest. "But I don't want to share you with anybody else."_

_The red-haired teen's lip thinning into a weak smile, his worries defeated by the words of the guy who have made him aware on everything he had been doubting in secret. Aomine had his heart in his grasp, as did Kagami of his. And there was no turning back._

.

"It has been 2 years, Kagami-kun," utter the girl, breaking the silence.

Kagami sits next to Momoi on the bench of the basketball court; a few teens are having an intense match yet looking so happy, enjoying it. Life used to be like that for him too.

"Yes. It's been awhile since I see you. A fine lady as always, Momoi. How are you now? I heard from Kuroko you gave birth last year. Congratulations," he flashes a weak smile but she looks stiff at the receiving end of it.

"I don't need to talk about me. More importantly, how are you? How do you dealing without – "

"I'm coping," the male quickly cuts through her words. "Daiichi distracts me most of the time – I'm thankful for his existence. He's really an angel, although one will find it hard to believe because he looks so much like him they expects the boy to act like a mischievous kid he was," he chuckles. "– like Daiki."

"Don't you wanna talk about it? Anything is okay, please – you've been shutting yourself down ever since the incident and everyone is worried about you," pleas the girl with a serious tone, distress looms over her face.

Kagami knows that everyone is worry. Everyone wants to provide him comfort, helping him to make it through the day. But when they do, they are being too gentle and sensitive about everything and it eventually will remind him of that day, of which it hurts so much he'd rather rip his heart out and have a machine to replace it instead. So he's trying forget, boxing everything in and shove it down the deepest core with distractions to take his mind off things.

"It has been 2 years...what more is there to talk about?" He got on his feet and tries to wrap it all up with a dry smile. "I need to go pick Daiichi up from school. Thank you Momoi-san...I appreciate it."

.

It must've been right on the dot that Kagami reaches the kindergarten, many mothers and their little children walks bustling by on the usually empty street every time he goes to pick his son up after he finishes work. There's not much choice and he feels guilty, but he can't do anything about it. It is rather safe for him to stay in the kindergarten than to be alone at home. To make it up, he'd let the boy have one wish fulfilled per week; sometimes it's just a piggyback ride home, some other time it would be a trip downtown to Maji Burger, or Atsushi's Bakery where Himuro Tatsuya, his brother from when they were in America works with his partner, the purple-haired monster of Generation of Miracles. He adores uncle Tatsuya as the adult would always shower him with tasty buns and sweets that Kagami had to give him a 'behind the door talk' not to leave his child with cavities or worst of all – diabetes. Tatsuya only grinned at that, playing a good guy who takes on the heed given in front of him but Kagami still caught him sneaking some sweets in his little boy's backpack when he wasn't looking.

Although many of the children has gone back with their parents, quite a few of them still linger around; probably facing the same thing Daiichi does every other day, the late working parents. As he walks through the door, the children who have had the whole day playing still actively running about, hopping from one place to another not knowing what tired means. They gathers a round an adult that lay on the floor, looking as though he is pretending to be dead and the kids having finger pistols, shooting him and laughing at their glorious win in defeating the blonde. The blue-haired boy stands atop of the small table instructing other kids as though he is the leader of the gang turns around and realizes that he has been observed. He hops down quickly and run towards the person holding the stare.

"Daddy!"

"Daiichi," he hugs the boy and hushes softly with a grin, "– go take your bag. Let's go home."

At the sound of the redhead's voice, the blonde that was pretending to be dead open his eyes and jolts upright.

"Kagamicchi!"

A little bit surprised to see the pilot, Kagami responded. "Kise!"

The lanky former model walks towards him with the children on his tail.

"You're here to pick little Aominecchi up?"

" Yup." The boy ready with his backpack pulls the red-haired male hand, twisting the adult's fingers in his small hand."What are you doing here?"

"Why do you bother asking me that, Kagamicchi? Geez." That is true, though. Never one to hide his feelings for the smaller phantom member of the Generation of Miracles, he rattles about his lover since they were in highschool. He is glad things work out well between the two. "Kurokocchi is kinda busy with this school's project that'll take place soon, so he asks me to come over and look after the kids while he finishes the paperwork."

"I see. Well, good to see you, Kise." Both him and Daiichi wave goodbye at the good-natured crybaby the blonde man used to be, or still is.

Today is remarkable – almost every face from the past pops up in his life. A few of the might be inevitable, running into Kuroko and Kise once in a while or Momoi come looking for him but others – the meeting with Midorima, Akashi are just plain stroke of destiny on such fateful day. At it's not gonna stop until he round it all up so when they stepped out of the gate, Kagami bent down on his knees and whispers to the eager little boy who is ready to dash home.

"Baby, shall we take a little detour today?"

.

"Welcome – ah, Taiga, Daiichi!"

"Uncle Tatsuya!" Without even realizing, the bluenette already has his arms wrap around the adult's leg, drawing a smile on his lips.

"Yo, Tatsuya."

Although the bakery is small, the atmosphere is kind – warm and inviting that one would want to stay there and never go back; the smell of freshly baked bread and mouth-watering cakes lining up on the displays sucks the soul out of everybody who walks in. From the opening between the kitchen and the store, he can see a tall figure, the purple-haired man busying himself with trays of bread, stopping for a second to say hi before going back to his work. Now all the faces he saw today from back in the years where basketball was his life is complete. The generation of miracles, Momoi – also Himuro. Having been knowing Himuro since they were little, Kagami never see that this is the kind of future that Himuro'd be having. But then again, never did it came across his mind that he could end up this way too; married to a man plus a kid – so he shushes his mind and smiles at his old friend.

"Do you still have my favourite cake left?"

"I know you'd come for it today so I save one. Geez Taiga. How long do you think I've known you?" the man sniff as he walks toward the refrigerator and slides it out, mouth watering strawberries and chocolate decorations on top, while little Daiichi still holding on to the pants of his favourite uncle.

Kagami sniggers at that, rubbing behind his head to ease the awkwardness.

"Thanks Tatsuya. Sorry for the trouble."

"Not at all," replies the male, " – ah Daiichi, uncle has something for you too!" He walks behind the counter and retrieve something from inside a drawer while the kid waits expectantly. "Here."

He hands the boy a chocolate bun with a shape look similarly that of a panda – black rounded eyes, complete with ears and a smiley. His jaw drop at the sight of cuteness and his instant reaction is to wrap his small arms around the adult's shoulder, too big for his grasp but not minding it at all. "Uncle Tatsuya, I looooooooooooooooove you!"

.

"Daddy, did papa like chocolates like we do too?"

The sun is already setting; orange coloured horizon is stretch across their field of view down the street leading home. Kagami looks down at the boy in his hand, happily enjoying his treat for the day as he gleefully asks the question.  
"Hmmm," he made a face, pretended to think hard for the answer although he knows the answer to it already. His husband's favourites, dos and don'ts, likes and dislikes – all of it is imprinted firmly at the back of his mind. "He didn't particularly like or dislike chocolates, but when he got married to me, my favourite became his favourite. He just never admits it though," he chuckles at the stubbornness of that bluehead.

"I see," joy sparkles from his eyes with every conversation they have about the tanned male. Daiichi is too young to remember it all, and it isn't his fault. "That's why you always get him chocolate cake for his birthday, right?" the boy grins at his father who is smiling softly at his son.

"Yes, Daiichi. You're observant, just like him."

.

The table is all set up – main course, snacks, cake and that little vase of flowers from this morning. Before seating himself in place, he shifted a picture frame on the TV cabinet to the dinner table as he wait for mini Daiki to hop out of the shower.

.

_Did you just hear that?"_

"_Shut up, Daiki."_

"_PA-PA. His first word is PAPA. Fuck yeah!"_

"_Daiki you ass, I said no cursing in front of Daiichi!" snapped the redhead as he feeds the newly turned one year old special baby porridge he made for the occasion._

"_Heh suck it, loser," taunted the tanned male next to him, "– and you did just cuss yourself, prick." Kagami put on some determination to ignore the annoying man-child._

"_Now say daddy, Daiichi. DAY – DEE."_

_Little ball of happiness was sitting on a high chair, flailing his arms in excitement as babies always were, knocking on the chair and occasionally the redhead's face as he stood so close._

_Kagami repeated after himself. "DAY –DEE."_

_The toddler stilled for a while and babbled, threading syllable by syllable._

" _Taa –Tee."_

_The red-haired did one of those victory punch; purposely elbowing the bluenette's muscley washboard abdomen. "Take that, asshole," he huffed the last part, covering the kid's ears with both his hands from listening. Aomine cringed in pain, rubbing his belly to ease off the impact. One of the bluenette deadly glares was easily tipped off as the he had gotten used to it over the course of the year they had been together. Heaving out a light sigh, an arm fell heavy on the redhead shoulder._

"_We did it, we survive one year."_

_Softly nudging his head on his husband's, Kagami lips stretched into a gracious smile._

"_And we will damn right survive the next twenty."_

.

"Daaaaaaaaaady, sorry for the wait!"

Like a cheetah, Kagami can barely see the owner of the voice until the figure climbs up the chair next to him. Dress in black and white cow print pajama; hair still wet from the shower, it impresses the redhead on how well the 5 year old could take care of himself.

"Daddy, let's lit the candle."  
And so he dd, hovering a lighter over candle numbered 3 1 and lighting it up. Kagami join his hands with Daiichi and close their eyes for a small prayer before proceeding to cut the cake and place it in a smaller plate in front of the zestful little boy who immediately dig into it. Kagami smile at the sight, but not for long when he shifts his sight at the picture frame across his seating place. He did not realize his face falls until he feels a tug on his sleeve.

"Don't be sad, daddy. I'm sure papa is happy chasing bad guys out of the heaven to keep it safe for us when we join him later."

Kagami is taken aback by the boy's thoughtful words – still amaze at the fact that this boy came from the brash cocky blue-haired man that never seemed to grow up, the one he used to know and he came to hate and love. He smiles faintly and pulls a quick kiss on the boy's temple.

"I bet he does."

.

_Aomine was just done with the shower, stepping out of the bathroom with only a piece of towel to separate his private part from the rest of the world when he was stopped in his track; stunned to see his amazingly sexy lover sitting atop of the bed – not a piece of string covering that milky skin belonged to the redhead, all spread out, ready to be taken over inside and out. As if that was not enough of a surprise for the bluenette, Kagami had his bangs tied up with a pink scrunchie, all too furry and glittery for the manly twenty-nine years old fire fighter. His initial reaction didn't last very long; the blue-haired childish behaviour took over and fits of laughter echoed throughout the room._

"_Shut up, Daiki. Daiichi is sleeping next door!" scowled the redhead, face behind his hands; all fumed and tomato red from embarrassment. He began to regret his decision to go on with the ridiculously stupid idea of his own._

"_Ahhh I'm sorry, honey," whispered the tanned male as he peeled the other man's hand off his face, lifting his chin up for their eyes to meet, gaze boring deep into the soul. "But you just look so adorably cute today I can't help it." One hand slithered over the smooth white skin, feeling every nook and cranny of the beautiful abdominal rectus muscle under it, the man let out a breathless sigh. He lightly put on pressure on the man's chest so his back fell against the mattress. Kagami blush deepened as the man pulled his hand to cup his semi-erected member, devious grin inching closer to his face, feeling the breath on his skin, tongue trailing from the his neck up to the jaw line until it finally arrived on his lips, perfectly locked into a sensual, passionate kiss._

"_Happy birthday, Daiki," mumbled the redhead as he gasped for air, drowning in the sea of pleasure with the man in his arms._

_The smile grew on the birthday boy turning into a perverted smirk, devouring his prey for the night without a single second to spare._

.

Kagami sprung up from the bed and shuffles towards the door as a soft knock bring his mind back to the present. Daiichi is standing in a hallway with a small worn out toy rabbit being drag in his hand, hopeful puppy eyes looking at the adult.

"Let me guess – you want to sleep with me tonight?"

The boy nods innocently. The redhead male yank the door wider.

"Why – "that little blue ball disappears and is already jumping on his bed by the time he finishes the sentence. "– not."

Kagami laugh at himself how terrifyingly good the kid would be one day at street basketball.

.

"_No, you stay put," insisted the bluenette as he puts on a jacket. "I wanna get you a special wonderful breakfast for being so obedient in bed last night – not to mention needy, but that's what I like." He winked and pecked the fair skinned hand, then a lingering tender kiss on the soft lips of the male that was still sitting on the bed, blanket pooling around his waist._

"_I'll still be the one cooking it later. So much for a surprise."_

_The bluenette waived it off with a chuckle as he walked out through the door. "That's true. But I'd like to see if you're able to stand at all, let alone walk after all those actions last night."_

_The redhead scowled in embarrassment at the snarky comment as he threw a pillow at the man's direction, closing the door. Not long after, it opened again, Aomine peeked his head through._

_"Hey, Bakagami. I love you."_

_ "Aho – ahomine. All of a sudden – " Kagami's skin quickly blend in with the color of his hair, not expecting the sudden confession. "I love you too. Idiot."_

_He smiled in delight, closing the door behind him for good._

_It was already afternoon, yet no sight of the bluenette rendered Kagami restless. He couldn't be that much of a moron to be distracted by a basketball match with the youngsters down a few block from their apartment, unfitting for the male that had one year away from reaching the big three o. But he also figured that that was the kind of a man Aomine was, and it was that part of him that reeled in the redhead in the first place, more than ten years back. His fond thought of the man stopped on its track, the unsettling wariness he felt in his heart that nearly nonexistent before was answered by a groundbreaking phone call from a hospital._

"_What the hell do you mean you can't save him?!" he threw the doctor over a red trolley by the side of the bed in the ER, sending it tumbling down the floor and medical equipments placed on it all over the place. The tiny doctor did not stand a chance against the well-built fire fighter on a roaring rage, his fury emanated through his entire being. It took 4 attendants to pin the man down and save the impeccable doctor that delivered the news from wetting himself in the pants. Kagami was barely rational when he was told about the incident, his mind spitefully disbelieving every strain of news that arrived to his ears._

_It was at the convenient store where Aomine went to shop for the promised breakfast; a robbery took place, and the robbers were armed with nighthawk, shooting randomly to get everybody to cower in horror. A boy was taken by the masked man as leverage, one hand pointing the gun on the terrified kid while another was shoving money from the cash register down a duffle bag. Kagami was aware that Aomine's line of duty was always one of that deals with constant threat of injury and worst possible scenario, death – but he had always scraped it off with only minor injuries and broken bones because of his agility and primal instinct. Not today, no. Fighting off the felon; bare-handed and sheer gut alone, kick the pistol out of the man's reach, beating and pinned the wrongdoer down as he got the boy out of the way into safety; saving the day on his day off. But he was careless that day, he didn't see it coming – the man would come at him with a Swiss knife on his hand as the tanned male sent the little boy to safety. His left thorax was punctured from behind, and the man knocked him down as he escaped empty handed, leaving the bluenette in the pool of his own blood. The freedom was not for long – he was caught soon after, and Aomine was rushed to the hospital. Yet they said he couldn't he saved._

"_His heart was punctured by the knife...we tried everything we could to save him, but it hit an irreparable major vessel. The bleeding will eventually lead him to death."_

_Kagami cursed himself for letting the man walked out of the house alone – if he had strongly insisted in tagging along, it would have not turned out like this; he blamed himself. If only he was there – to tell Aomine to analyze the situation first before jumping into action, to tell him to watch out, to watch his back as they hop into danger together; or maybe take his stead in receiving the blow; because he'd do that for him without as much as thinking. However he wished he could turn back the time, such will never happen. His husband was dying. He was stopped useless._

"_Oi Taiga, come here," frail voice came from the direction of a dishevelled blue-haired man, a sight so foreign to Kagami as the man he had been knowing almost half his life was so strong, so enigmatic and overwhelmed with charisma now lay there hopeless, waiting for his time to part, wires coming from machines attached to all parts of his body. He leaped to his side, clinging on his hand so hard as though it could stop the inevitable fate that was about to swing by._

"_Stop crying, you look ugly," the younger male tried to laugh it off, only to end up in a coughing fit._

"_Daiki, stop it, stop talking," plea the redhead, tears streaming down his cheek. "Everything will be okay."_

"_You're a bad liar, you know," his breathing became shallower by the moment. "Taiga...tell Daiichi I'm sorry I couldn't teach him street basketball." He used all his might to reach out for the redhead's face, placing his big, calloused hand on that delicate cheek of his now stained with tears. "And I'm sorry I have to rely on you to take care of Daiichi."_

_The beep was getting slower as Aomine tear away the oxygen mask from his face, wearing the affectionate smile only reserved for the redhead for one last time._

"_I'm sleepy...I'll see you when I wake up... Bakagami."_

.

"Daddy, stop crying," a soft voice causes Kagami to shot his eyes open. In the darkness, he can feel the soft hand belongs to the child touching his wet cheek, oblivious of its presence on his face."Papa will be sad if you cry."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Pulling the small body into an embrace, he ruffles the blue hair and buries his face in it. "Thank you, Daiichi," the man hums, rocking the boy gently as he lulls him to sleep.

Comprehending the fact that someone you love will never again walk through the door is not easy – even swallowing a burning hot charcoals is not as painful than to deal with the pain of living your day to day life, knowing that there was once a person there by your side, going through it with you through thick and thin, of all the good and the bad times...and now the person is not there, and all you have to deal with is the cold splash of reality. Nobody wants to stay locked in the past forever, but to get over the overwhelming absence of the loved one is truly easier said than done.

Aomine was there almost half of his life. Now that he is gone; to live a life he like he used to is just not possible. But Kagami is lucky to have Daiichi by his side.

**END**

**.**

**I did not intend for it to be this heavy when I started writing this, so I had a little trouble in finishing it. Nevertheless, it's my first attempt on such genre,adding a little variation in Aokaga fics. I have no regrets, although I still feel apologetic towards Kagami for killing off Aomine.**

**This is actually a condition called complicated grief disorder...I learned about it in class when I was halfway drafting this story. Coincidence is freaky, huh.**

**I hope you enjoy reading it. Review/PM/favourite. I'm gonna come back with something sweet later to make it up for this.**

**EDIT : Because I think I could twist it a little sadder. Also checking for grammatical error.**

**Thanks for staying until the end! :)**


End file.
